Mexican leader spells out wish list to Congress

Trust, equity lead Fox goals

KAREN MASTERSON, Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

Published 5:30 am, Friday, September 7, 2001

WASHINGTON -- In a joint meeting of Congress, Mexican President Vicente Fox implored lawmakers to trust his government and help foster a more "mature, full and equitable relationship" between his country and the United States.

Specifically, Fox asked Congress to advance the North American Free Trade Agreement by allowing Mexican trucks to travel unrestricted into the United States, and to give illegal Mexican immigrants living and working in the United States the dignity of legal status.

Fox also said Congress should suspend the annual scrutiny on Mexico's anti-drug trafficking policies, which has been a sore spot in U.S-Mexico relations. He said "trust needs to be a key element in our new relationship."

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As a goodwill gesture to Fox -- and show of support for the many democratic and economic reforms he has initiated since winning the election late last year -- the Senate Thursday night unanimously passed a narrowly defined immigration bill.

The measure would extend a provision of U.S. immigration law known as 245(i), which permits some illegal immigrants to apply for residency without first having to leave the country.

Extending 245(i) represents only a fraction of what Fox wants from the U.S. government. Still, Bush had encouraged the Senate to approve the bill before Mexico's reform-minded leader returned home. The House passed a similar bill in May.

"With President Fox in the country, this sends a message to him that we really are trying to work toward making things easier in the relations between the United States and Mexico," said Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, who brought the bill to the floor.

But lawmakers, despite giving Fox a standing ovation, appeared more prepared to turn the larger questions raised by Fox into political fodder than legislative proposals.

Republicans were split over whether Congress should act this year on a plan to help illegal Mexicans and migrant workers gain legal status. And Democrats made it clear they would push for a comprehensive bill and blame the GOP if it fails.

Bush favors some type of guest-worker program for some illegal Mexican immigrants, in part to solidify a blossoming friendship with Fox and in part to try to win more of the Hispanic vote for the GOP in next year's congressional elections.

Before leaving the White House for a trip with Fox to Toledo, Ohio, Bush repeated his threat to veto legislation passed by both the House and Senate that would continue to restrict Mexican trucks from the U.S. interior -- a policy that NAFTA sought to loosen.

And Bush urged lawmakers to stop requiring Mexico to be certified each year in the war against drugs: "To have an annual certification process, really, I don't think is fair to Mexico and I think it's counterproductive, and I hope they change the law."

Currently, drug-producing nations are put on a list and must be certified as having adequate anti-drug policies, or risk losing U.S. economic and foreign aid.

A Senate committee approved a bill that would end the certification process temporarily until the president proposes an alternative. It remains unclear whether Congress will approve the bill by the end of this year.

Still, the Republican leadership expressed strong support for Fox during and after his speech, including a "viva Fox" applause from Senate Republican leader Trent Lott of Mississippi.

In a speech Fox gave partially in English and in Spanish, he pledged to fully cooperate in the fight against drugs flowing across Mexico's border into the United States.

"But trust requires that one partner not be judged unilaterally by the other," he said, pointing a critical finger at the United States' annual review of drug-trafficking nations.

Switching to Spanish, Fox asked all Mexicans living in this country to eventually come back to their native land, where their skills and experiences are needed.

"This is the first time since I've been a senator that we have a president of Mexico that is not bad-mouthing America," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. "That may very well permit us to be real partners, including a vast change in our immigration laws that will permit Mexico to grow and prosper and help us as we continue to try and grow and prosper as good neighbors."

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Thursday morning that legislation was possible this year, but did not commit to what that might include.

And because conservatives oppose amnesty and weakening border controls, any GOP leadership package is unlikely to encompass the kind of reform plan that Democrats say they may introduce soon.

"We can and should pass legislation as quickly as possible, even in the next couple of weeks," House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri said in a news conference for Hispanic reporters after Fox's speech.

He said Democrats are drafting a bill that would include family reunification, a temporary guest worker program, border-safety improvements and granting legal status to illegal immigrants who have been working and paying taxes in this country -- referred to as "earned legalization."

Gephardt also said the United States needs to help Mexico make "structural adjustments," much like the European Union has done to help lesser developed nations of eastern and southern Europe grow into fair economic partnerships with the fully developed countries of northern Europe.

But such a large package would amount to major reform and not be likely to make its way through multiple congressional committees and lengthy floor debate before the end of the year.

Plus, even if Bush were to back a comprehensive approach, many conservatives say they would not line up behind him.

"I want Bush and all Republicans to receive more votes, but I don't think winning an election is worth weakening our security," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado conservative and chairman of an anti-immigration group on Capitol Hill called the Immigration Reform Caucus.

His caucus opposes easing border restrictions until after Mexico's government and economy are reformed.

They said they are against allowing Mexicans the ability to "earn" their legal status, because it would reward those violating U.S. laws and encourage even more illegal border crossings.